Well, yes. But I was thinking (albeit not very seriously) of a treatment involving applying the syrup to the elm trees, Vermont being famous for its maple syrup. The real answer is far more sensible.

Surprisingly, the majority of people do NOT know that maple syrup comes from Maple trees! Some group did a poll of about 10,000 people internationally, and less than 30% had any idea where is came from, (and many of those were probably guessing,) and only 2% had any idea how it was made!

Anyone want to guess how many gallons of Maple sap it takes to make one gallon of syrup?

It takes 40 gallons of tree sap, boiled down in an evaporator, to make one gallon of Maple syrup. My neighbors used to gather around the wood-fired evaporator in early April as the kids would gather up the sap they tapped from the trees on our property, stand around chatting while it boiled away into syrup. The adults drinking rum to keep warm, the kids waiting impatiently with plates of clean snow... then dribbling out the new syrup onto the snow (turning it into a taffee-like treat) the bottling the rest to sell to local gift shops. After taking out money for the cost of the cans and bottles, the profits were divided among all the kids who did the hard work tapping and gathering every afternoon. Each family would receive a gallon or two for their own use. Nice annual social event in rural Vermont. This goes on every night as long as the sap is running. That requires below freezing temps at night and above freezing during the day. By the end of April, it's gotten warmer and the sugaring is done for the year.

Being of a curious and inquisitive mind, how many gallons of sap does a tree yield?

10-40 gallons per tree, depending on three variable; the size of the tree, the temperature difference between day and night, and length of time that the temperature difference goes above and below freezing every day.

The sap itself is absolutely tasteless when it comes out of the tree. You couldn't tell that it wasn't just plain water. I had about 8 trees on my property, but my neighbors all had more. The kids were able to make themselves a nice piece of pocket money each year, but carrying buckets of sap out of the woods is work! If there is enough snow still on the ground, they would put a big plastic barrel on a sled and drag it from tree to tree, dumping in the sap from each bucket. I'd estimate that each night they were able to boil down about 5-8 gallons of syrup to "A" grade. Most of the families preferred "B" grade as it has a much stronger maple flavor.

Now, the obvious follow up question is; What is the difference between grade "A" and grade "B"?
Thanks for the thorough description, that is a lot of sap from a tree. What happens to it once it is tapped? Do you somehow plug the hole? Wouldn't it continue to give off sap if you didn't?

Now, the obvious follow up question is; What is the difference between grade "A" and grade "B"?

Color and taste. The stuff you buy in the stores is usually grade 'A.' It has a mild maple flavor. Grade 'B' is darker and has a much stronger flavor.

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Thanks for the thorough description, that is a lot of sap from a tree. What happens to it once it is tapped? Do you somehow plug the hole? Wouldn't it continue to give off sap if you didn't?

Once the weather warms up, the tree stops producing so much sap. Keep in mind that each hole is only tapping into a 1/2" area of the conductive tubing inside the bark. There are two main 'tubes,' zylom and phloem, and it's the phloem 'tubes' that carry the nutrients to the tree. These tubes are found right behind the bark, between the bark and the wood. It's a very thin layer and the maple 'tap' is hardly affecting the transfer of nutrients (unless you put dozens of taps all around the trunk of the tree!) The holes do leak a little bit, but I'd say... maybe just a few ounces before the tree 'heals' itself when the tap is removed. If the tape were left in place, but the weather warms up, there isn't enough sap flowing to bother collecting. That's when you know that sugaring season is over.